Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
Every night, Ben and I try to spend few minutes reading for leisure. Most of the time, he reaches for the latest prize-winning nonfiction, and I opt for (surprise!) a cooking magazine. It suits us. He can count on me for an unending supply of fresh dinners like today’s Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles, and I can rest assured that he’ll always have an intelligent topic for us to discuss while we eat them.
Well, except for that one time he was reading about a shipwreck in the Arctic Ocean, and I kept changing the subject. As someone who is freezing when the temperature dips below 68 degrees, I can only handle so much information about surviving amongst ice caps.
Meanwhile, on my side of the bed, the reading material is much warmer. The most recent magazines to land on our doorstep have been filled with gorgeous, glossy photos of a food group that is hitting its peak: VEGETABLES.
Summer is produce primetime. If you’ve been looking to incorporate more veggies into your diet, there could not be a better time of year (or a better recipe!) to begin.
The Making of Healthy Shrimp Scampi
Although I’m conscious of making sure we have vegetables at every meal, with the exception of hearty, main dish salads, I typically serve them on the side versus as the true base of the dish.
After a solid hour of ogling magazine spreads depicting epic, veggie-centric, farm-to-table feasts (including one prepared by the author of my latest cookbook impulse buy), however, I decided that it was time to take my vegetable game one step farther: zucchini noodles.
{Side note: have you ever noticed how many different shapes of glassware and dishware are used in those farm table photo shoots? Does every barn have a bottomless supply of custom pottery and mason jars just waiting to be placed at the table on a casual Tuesday night? If so, I’m a little jealous…of the supply, not the clean up.}
Back to Healthy Shrimp Scampi!
This healthy shrimp recipe a lightened-up, veggie-fied twist on classic shrimp scampi, a dish traditionally made with pasta, butter, lemon, more butter, garlic, and extra butter. I kept the essentials—the garlic, lemon, Parm, and, yes, the butter—but modified the amounts of each to make the recipe more balanced. (Sidenote: My Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa is another healthy shrimp recipe inspired by shrimp scampi!)
The biggest, most obvious Healthy Shrimp Scampi swap is that I’ve replaced the traditional pasta noodles with zucchini noodles (a.k.a. zoodles) I made using this spiralizer. I am a relative latecomer to the sprializer game, but I am oh so happy to be here at last.
Not only are the zoodles a healthy, low-calorie, and low-carb option to replace pasta, but their mild flavor can easily adapt to a wide range of flavors, including the heap of lemon and garlic you’ll find in this light shrimp scampi recipe.
If you aren’t ready to go all veg, you can also do a 50-50 blend of zucchini noodles and whole wheat pasta noodles. (Looking for another veg-heavy noodle dish? Garlic Shrimp Pasta or Healthy Shrimp Pad Thai might fit the bill!)
To make the recipe as accessible as possible, I made this Healthy Shrimp Scampi without wine, opting for chicken stock instead.
Most shrimp scampi recipes do call for wine, so if you’d like to stick with tradition (or need another good reason to open a bottle), you can certainly add any dry white wine you’d also enjoy sipping alongside your serving.
Tools To Make Healthy Shrimp Scampi:
- Spiralizer
- This enamel/cast iron braiser (this is another good, more affordable option)
More Healthy Shrimp Recipes To Enjoy:
- Garlic Shrimp with Quinoa
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Lemon Shrimp Pasta with Orzo
- Shrimp Pasta with Roasted Red Peppers and Artichokes
- Healthy Shrimp Alfredo
Healthy Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot — finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic — minced (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1 pound large shrimp — peeled and deveined with tails on (fresh or frozen and thawed)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth — or white wine
- Zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 pounds zucchini noodles — from about 4 medium zucchini
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
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Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the shrimp, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes, until the shrimp are beginning to cook but are still somewhat translucent.
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Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute, just until the shrimp are completely opaque and cooked through. Stir in the zucchini noodles and parsley. Toss the noodles with the shrimp so that they are coated with the garlic-lemon sauce and heat just until warmed through. (Do not overcook or the zucchini noodles will become mushy.) Sprinkle with parsley and Parmesan. Serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Amount per serving (1 (of 4)) — Calories: 232, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 228mg, Sodium: 606mg, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 6g, Protein: 26gDid you try this recipe? I want to see! Follow Well Plated on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag it #wellplated. I love to know what you are making!
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About Erin Clarke
I’m fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food taste incredible. Wearer of plaid, travel enthusiast, and firmly convinced that sweets and veggies both deserve a place at the table. MORE ABOUT ERIN…
yum!! what NOT to love about this recipe! I LOOOVVVEE shrimp and I love zucchini! Can’t wait for zucchini season and i’m actually HOPING to have zucchini coming out of my ears (ok not literally…but you know what I mean!) – all the bread, zoodles, muffins cake! thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you so much Marti! I hope you love this recipe!
So simple, available ingredients and such a great idea ! Thank you so much !
Thank you! I hope you enjoy!
This looks terrific! What is the serving size per person?
Liz, I’m so glad you like the look of this! I didn’t measure the finished dish cup by cup, but fortunately since the recipe doesn’t yield a huge amount, it’s fairly easy to estimate 1/4 of the recipe as you serve it. If you’d like to be more precise, you can always measure it prior to serving, then divide the total amount by 4.
I need help with my zoodles. I’ve blotted them with paper towels but still find they release too much liquid and make my sauces too diluted and runny. How do you avoid this?
Hi Lissa, you could try salting the zoodles first to help even more water come out. You could also change the paper towels a few times and keep blotting. In some recipes, like this one, the key is not overcooking the zoodles so they don’t release much water. If you’re adding a hot pasta sauce, you can also not cook the zoodles at all and just top them with the hot sauce to warm them through (not applicable to this recipe, but might be helpful for others)!
Still to this day haven’t made zoodles! Thanks for sharing this (:
Hi,
On the first reading pass, I thought I saw a note to the effect: …don’t skip the marinating…
Unfortunately I no longer seeing it.
Am I delusional?
Thansk
Ike
Hi Ike, there’s no marinating necessary in this recipe, so I’m not sure where you may have seen that note. Perhaps it was in another recipe?
This looks delicious, Erin! I love the zoodle substitution and it would be so easy to adapt for my kids and husband who are more into traditional noodles than I am. We can both have waht we like and still enjoy that yummy shrimp!
hey girl- this looks amazing!
Thank you Shawnna!
what can I use instead of shrimp? would salmon work?
Hi Julie, you could try making a recipe without the shrimp and just serve the noodles on the side with the grilled salmon, but I’d worry that without the sautéed shrimp it might lack some flavor. You could also try bite-size pieces of boneless, skinless chicken beasts or thighs in place of the shrimp (be sure to adjust the cooking time, as chicken will need longer than shrimp).
This recipe was so good! Easy to make, and delicious. I love finding new recipes for my zoodles. Thank you!
Awesome, Janice! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try and reporting back!
Thank you for another winner! My family loved this-even my picky ten year old! Lately nearly everything I cook comes from you. It’s wonderful to have a resource for consistently delicious healthy recipes. Thanks so much for all you do!
Jen, thank you so much for this lovely review and sweet comment! I’m so glad to hear the recipe was a winner for your family!
I made this last night and it was delicious, even my husband said it was ok, He’s not into all this healthy eating. This was such a flavorful dish I will definitely be making this again soon
Thanks so much for taking the time to share this awesome review, Juanita! I’m glad to hear the recipe was a hit. :)
This was super easy and yummy! I didn’t have lemon but it still turned out great. My husband loved it!
Rebecca, thanks so much for taking the time to report back! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Is this a good recipe to make in advance. Maybe a day or two or will it not taste as good? Suggestions?
Hi Laura, I wouldn’t recommend this, as shrimp tends to become a bit tougher when reheated, and the noodles will get watery too. My suggestion would be to make the spiralize the noodles a day ahead and store them in the refrigerator on their own, and if it all possible, make the shrimp just before serving. You can also try reheating the shrimp gently in the microwave.
Loved this!
Jessica I’m so glad to hear you loved this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this great review.
Made this recipe Sunday and I am in love! Very delicious & I will definitely be making it again in the future. Thank you for all of your amazing recipes; one always seems to make it to my meal-prep Sundays.
Thank you so much, Sarah! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
Can you tell me approximately how much 1 serving is?
Hi Erica, I didn’t measure the size of each serving, so unfortunately I don’t have a number to give! I’d recommend taking a look at your skillet and dividing it into quarters to visualize how big each serving size will be. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a try!
Delicious recipe! I tried it with squash as well, and it turned out great!
Jelena, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for the tip about it working well with squash too!
This was really really good as is and this base recipe will lend itself nicely to being a very versatile dish in the future. I look forward to adding scallops, fish, and even mussels. I did add sun dried tomatoes for a little extra colour and texture. MMmmm! I lightly salted the spiralized zucchini and left them in a colander to drain while I prepared the remainder of the ingredients. A lot of excess liquid drained from it keeping the noodles a little crisper. I think next time I will use the largest noodle size and will try it with our family favourite….broccoli stalks with the flowerettes tossed in.
Your ideas for future variations sound delicious! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review and tips. :)
Outstanding recipe! I’m sharing!
Thanks so much, Lynn!
THIS WAS AMAZING!!!!!
Just finished eating it, so impressed! Did not think we would like Zoodles. Now I’m gonna use them in everything. Can’t wait to make this again. Used wine and I can just drink the sauce, it’s delicious. Husband loved it too. Just outstanding !
YAY Jeni! I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
This is a keeper! Made this last night with 6 large shrimp and 1 and one half zucchini but kept the sauce the same. I ate the whole plate!! Think I’ll add some of my dehydrated tomatoes or cherry tomatoes next time. The sauce is sooo good! Look forward to trying other recipes from you, Cheryl
Cheryl, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this awesome review!
Excellent & easy. 1st time making zucchini zoodles. Blotted dry with paper towels and cooked quickly. Added spinach at the end and mixed together. Will make again.
YAY Debby! I am so happy to hear that. I love your addition of spinach too!
I’ve been making shrimp scampi for years, and it’s one of our favorite dishes, but with half a cup of olive oil in my recipe I’ve been looking for something a little less fattening. Lo! This is perfect. I don’t have a zoodle machine, so I just grated the zucchini in my Cuisinart, which worked fine. Both my husband and I loved the final product. And it was so easy. THANK YOU!!
Marcia, I’m so glad to hear the recipe was a winner for you and your husband! I truly appreciate your taking the time to give it a try and let me know how it went!
This was yummy!! It’s definitely a keeper. Easy too, especially if the prep chopping is done in advance.
Clancy, I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave this great review!
Bloody….delicious. Guilt…free!!!
WHOOO HOOO! So happy to hear that Bret. THANK YOU!
Made this tonight and it was delicious. Used leftover white wine, plenty of garlic and lemon. Skipped the red pepper. It was wonderful. Will put this in my recipe library.
I am so so happy to hear that Darcy. Thank you!!
This recipe is fantastic! My fiancé and I devoured this last night, and I’m happily eating some leftovers as we speak! Will definitely be making this again soon.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Taylor! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Wow! I made this last night and am already craving it again. This is a good combination of light with flavor. I had also steamed some broccoli as a side dish. We ended up dipping it in the leftover sauce.
I used the chicken stock, not wine option. Although I am sure both would be good.
Sandra, thank you for taking the time to leave this awesome review! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
This was amazing. My 17 year old daughter made it by herself and it looked like the picture posted and tasted wonderful. Definitely a keeper of a recipe!
HOORAY! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review, Linda. I’m glad to hear the recipe was a success!
Can I use frozen zoodles
Hi Christine, I wouldn’t recommend starting with frozen zoodles as I worry that would cause the dish to be too mushy and liquidy—frozen vegetables release a ton of moisture when reheated.
This is such a delicious recipe! It only took me half an hour to pull together. Great for a weeknight dinner.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Ana! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the dish!
Whoo!!!! This was AMAZING!!!
Even my boyfriend, who always questions my healthy recipes, loved it.
HOORAY! Thanks so much for taking the time to write this review, Mitzi. I’m so glad to hear the recipe was a hit for both of you!
This looks amazing! Would it be fine to double the save? If so would you double tha garlic too or just leave it the same?
Hi Tiffany, do you mean double the sauce? In that case, the answer is yes, I think that would be fine! I would go ahead and double all the sauce ingredients if you go that route, including the garlic.
Tried zucchini noodles for the first time thanks to this recipe. Thoroughly enjoyed them and this dish. Looking forward to trying them in more meals. Thanks!
Woohoo! Welcome to the veggie noodle world, Chad! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them and the recipe.
This is an awesome dish
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Darlene! Thank you so much for sharing this awesome review!
Only took about ten minutes to prepare (I bought pre spiralized noodles) and dang was it good. I was only cooking for myself, so I kind of winged it when it came to measurements & it still turned out great. I will absolutely be making this again in the future. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!!
HOORAY Meredith! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe—starting with the storebought spiralized noodles is definitely a great way to cut the time from prepping to eating even more. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this great review!
Made this tonight with butternut squash noodles. Think I may have added a pinch extra if the crushed red pepper. It was awesome. I love shrimp scampi but not all the butter, this is a keeper recipe.
Bill, this makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking time to share your feedback. I appreciate it so much!
Made this tonight and it was so good!! So much flavor for so few ingredients!
YAY I’m so glad you loved it, Elaine. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
My son and I love it! It’s great for lunch for us. Had to work with what I had in my fridge and it’s super easy! Will make again. If
So happy to hear you both enjoyed this recipe, Lynn! Thanks so much for the positive feedback!
Hello! I don’t have a cast iron skillet, do you think this would still turn out well?
Yes, definitely!! You can use any large, sturdy skillet.
This recipe is really good, tasted restaurant-style. I added scallops and omitted the parmesan. I think the recipe is silent on what to do with the parsley, but I added it at the end with the burner off. Next time, I will probably use 1/2 the lemon zest and lemon juice. Thank you for the recipe!
Michelle, I am SO glad you enjoyed the recipe! And adding the parsley at the end is perfect!
This recipe was so tasty. I would not use the red pepper flakes again, just the pepper. I had cut the red pepper flakes to 1/4 tsp. but it was still pretty spicy. Love that it’s healthy!
Debra, I am so pleased to hear that you enjoyed this! Thanks for letting me know!
Terrific recipe! Never cooked with zoodles before, and it was a hit. My husband is cuckoo crazy for the sauce! Making it tonight for the 2nd time this week. Thanks for a yummy, healthy recipe. :)
Kelly, YAY!!! So happy to hear it!
Love this recipe! I didn’t change a thing. My grandson is asking for me to make it again.
YAY Tanya! So happy to hear it!
What a great meal my husband loved it for dinner but will cut the lemon zest and juice by half. Thank you for a lovely meal.
Margaret, I’m so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Love it! I used only water instead of oil while cooking aromatics. Marinated shrimp with lemon and herbs for 10 minutes. I also made a marinara sauce: chopped tomatoes, garlic, and dry herbs, sea salt. Poured it over pasta. My husband, who is addicted to pizza and real pasta, loved it. Win Win. Thank you for the recipe!
I’m glad it was a winner, Anya! Thanks so much for sharing your tweaks too!
This was my first time making zoodles and this dish for that matter. Came out excellent ❤️❤️❤️
I’m glad to hear it was a hit, Cece! Thanks for taking the time to leave this wonderful review!
This was absolutely fantastic – so flavorful! Husband and daughter loved it! I did use 6 large cloves of garlic. Thank you, Erin!
I’m so glad it was a hit, Daria! Thanks for giving it a try and taking the time to leave this review!
Wonderful, a very easy recipe loved it. I am a huge veggie eater so this was perfect. My husband said I could make this one anytime. Thanks again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Debbie! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review!